To Live in a Realm Reborn
by HighStormCommanderHanji
Summary: Eorzea, the land blessed by Hydaelyn, and granted the gift of life abundant. Life is what drives this realm, even when it stands on the brink of Oblivion. Life, in a Realm Reborn from the ashes of war, is beyond any expectation we could hope to imagine. Here is the story, the tale, behind that life.
1. Chapter 1

My thoughts spun around me like some kind of bewitched Moogle. I dipped in and out of focus, too overloaded to clearly comprehend everything going on both inside of my mind and outside of my body. What _was_ clearly defined order and simple coordination collapsed so quickly into mass chaos and destruction. Certainly, this all had to be a dream. Yes, that was it, an embarrassing night on the town ended with just a little too much wine, and I was sleeping it off in the barracks, like a good little soldier…

"Agh!"

Just as my reality began to slip away from me once again, I was jerked forward, slamming my chest into the pommel of my riding harness. Shaking my head, I glimpsed around me, soaking in my surroundings.

Yes, this corrupted coast of withering coral and dead algae, all tainted with the corruption of a Primal, _this_ was where I truly was. Either that, or someone had simply stopped cleaning the barracks.

"Kweh!"

A chirp from my bright yellow steed alerted me of her observation of the fact that I was now lucid. Hell, even in the middle of a crisis, she could still read me like a book. They say all Chocobos have a certain sense of insight when it comes to the sentient races, but Ayumi took that assumption one step further.

"Aye, lass, I'm here. No need to worry even a tad, we'll be back at the Drowning Wench by the end of the night. Whad'ya say, girl?"

"Kweh!"

"Aye, then, pick it into high sails!"

At my urging, Ayumi blasted forward, making most of the scenery next to me seem like a simply blur, much to my relief. I wanted to put as much distance between that place and myself as possible. The entire situation felt off, and wrong in every imaginable way.

Never once before in my life had she been wrong about _anything_, her data was always flawless, and the cornerstone of the success we'd been having in recent years. No, something had ran afoul with the entire mission, but it was beyond my deduction to say what it was. All I could hope is that someone made it out of that Nightmare besides myself. It would be enough that I had to flee a battle, but would be worse if I was the only man left to tell the tale.I'd be branded a milk-drinker for sure, maybe even cast out of the Maelstrom, who knew. They say there's only one good way to treat a man who has fled from death…

A sharp bite of pain knocked me out of my lamentations, reminding me of the real world. I felt down to my lower left chest, and drew it back. My finger was coated in a deep black blood, my own coagulated life brew.

"Ugh, one of the slippery little demons must 'ave caught me with a spear. I ever see them wretches again, I'll tear 'em limb from limb, I will."

I cursed my foes to the night sky, to no one in particular. It was no hidden fact that I held pretty deep grudges when someone, or something, crossed me. This would simply be another chance to add to my list of things to hate.

The night sky above me was clear as the day had been, shining a thick lunar ray along our route. Even in something as pure as moonlight, the land seemed to radiate poison and disease. Leviathan wasn't any kind of pestilence monger, but he sure did a damn good job of spreading it wherever he went. I felt my own lungs beginning to heave simply breathing in the swampy air.

"The sooner we're out of 'ere, the better."

"Kweh!~"

Ayumi picked out the tone of my voice, knew what I wanted. She put a little more drive into her sprint across the Sahagin territory, making me all the more worried about her as she ran. If something happened to her on the way, we would both be stranded in this place, something I would sooner die than consider.

"Easy, there. Don' be so hard on yer'self. We'll get there in enough time, Ayumi."

She slowed down slightly, cooing quietly at hearing my voice again. She likely thought of me more like a brother than just another rider, and I owed it to her to not push her too hard, when I could. I just didn't have it in me to watch her burn out for my sake. I would be more than a little bit sad if she happened to fall apart because of something I made her do.

Then, without myself realizing, I drifted back into my own mind, letting Ayumi enter a sort of autopilot mode, finding the way back to the Tidegate on her own. I just couldn't find it in me to focus, let alone steer a Chocobo. The last thing I remember seeing before I zoned out was the bright moon on the horizon, calling me back home. The rest of the trip became nothing but blank space.

* * *

Two, three, four hours could have gone by in that time. I was unsure of the progression of it as we approached the Tidegate from a distance. I didn't really give a damn about how long it took to get there, I just wanted to be on the sane side of the world, now more than ever. I felt myself going crazy looking at everything in sight. Regardless, it was a welcome sight to behold.

"There she is! Double time, Ayumi, we're goin' home!"

As Ayumi picked up her pace, I reached behind me to ready the signal horn I carried, which would alert the guards upon the Tidegate of my presence, letting me past. As I reached down, I winced once again at the pain in my side but wrote it off as simply pain, nothing more. A piercing wound was going to hurt, and I knew it. Another scar to add to the collection, another wound to have the medic bandage.

But… it didn't simply feel like another wound, not quite. It burned quite a bit more than it usually would, and the bleeding seemed profuse. The wound would have clotted by now, and scabbed over slightly. I had a hunch that I was stuck with something far worse, but put the thought aside as I raised the horn to my lips, and blew with all of my might.

A mighty roar rang out from the horn, filling the air with a low, loud tone, that could likely be heard for miles. I held out the note as long as my lungs could handle, then let it drop from my mouth. Hoping the men had heard it, I stowed the horn , and took up Ayumi's reins once again. The wall was about a Yalm away, but so massive that it could easily be seen from twenty with the naked eye. Such a massive object could not easily be missed, no matter how you looked at it.

Ayumi turned onto the makeshift path leading up to it, the home stretch, when I began to lose vision. The colors went first, which were hardly noticeable at night, but then my eyes felt as though they could not focus on the largest of things. Like I had been drinking too much, my eyes lost their edge, I couldn't control where they went, could barely tell where I was going. My hands were the next to go, falling off of the reigns and limply swinging at my sides. Things were shutting off,one by one, I felt myself becoming more and more a sentient vegetable, useless and dying. The wall was close, I could tell that much, but aside from men shouting and the doors opening, I had no indication as to whether or not I was actually on the other side or not. I felt Ayumi halt, and myself slide off of the harness, unmoving onto the ground.

I was effectively blind now, my thoughts sparse and almost absent. I felt cold, I already could feel the kiss of Death upon my lips. It had been so long, I was ready to face him at last…

"_OUT OF MY WAY! GET OUT OF THE WAY, NOW!"_

Heh, ever the prompt savior. I was unsure if she would come, but I knew that voice could belong to no other. No one would be making her way through heavily armed pirate brigades like she would.

"_Seymour… Shit, he's losing blood fast! Too much… Too much… Wait a minute, is that?... By the Twelve, he's been poisoned. STAND BACK, EVERYONE, GIVE ME ROOM TO CAST! Damn you, Hanji, I am __**not**_ _letting you die tonight! Stay with me, damn it!"_

The last thing I could remember was the warm grasp of magic, and the dimmed, sensual screams of panic erupting from Y'shtola. She always had be the show off, it seemed, even when I was bleeding out in front of her.

* * *

**_Greetings, once again, all. This is the beginning of the Official Reboot of the series. This time around, the chapters will be much more detailed, and now that I have had a lot of practice with writing, much more planned and constructed. Updates will follow approximately a semi-weekly schedule, I hope. _**

**_Welcome back, and welcome aboard_**

**_Cheers, Mates, and see you soon_**


	2. Chapter 2

I find it hard to remember a morning in which I experienced more pain than the one directly after that. When my eyes finally opened, I had to close them again, almost instantly, because of the shockwave of torture that shook me. From my feet, all the way to my neck, everything simply hurt with a sharp burn. I could barely help groaning out from the experience, attempting to move, and finding myself constrained to a bed.

"Hanji! Oh, dear Gods, you're alive!"

To my right, I heard her voice call out to me, but I was not able to fully process what she had said until the pain began to subside. Gradually, the burning curtailed, and I found myself able to open my eyes without them watering up. When I did, Y'shtola's stormy green eyes met mine, awash with concern, and leaning over me as she stood from the side of the bed. Her usually kept hair was a mess, save her hair cuffs, and even her clothes were stained with blood and oils of some kind.

"Y-Y'shtola… Where am I?"

"Lominsa. We sent you back this morning when I told them you were safe to move. By the Twelve, Seymour, what in all of Eorzea were you doing out there? You showed up at the Tidegate covered in blood, with a poisoned stab wound in your side, and nearly dead! If I hadn't been there, waiting for you…"

"I'd be dead, I know that. Hells, add it to the list of times you've saved my sorry arse. What, are we going on nine times now?"

She looked ready to slap me for a moment, but her annoyance melted away into relief that I had enough life in me to weakly joke. My voice was still raspy and low, but it was enough to convey my thoughts to her.

"Aye, Seymour, this will be the ninth. But, that was not what worried me. You were out for two days, man. For two suns, I stayed here next to you, doing everything in my power to ensure that poison wouldn't do any lasting damage to your body, or your mind. For two days, I stood here, mixing fish oils and mandragora extracts, every kind of medicine imaginable, trying to figure out what would compliment the healing magic best, all while listening to make sure you were still breathing. That night, the night you rode in, I don't think I've ever been so scared in my life. I thought I was going to lose you, I swear I thought I was going to-"

"Worrying about me dying is wasted effort, woman. You and I both know that I'm too much of a stubborn bastard to simply keel over and vomit out my blood because of some pretty poison. You shouldn't have been so-"

I was cut short by a solid piece of something hitting the top of my head, sending stars running throughout my field of vision as I nursed the impact zone. To my side, y'shtola held her cane out, shaking it fiercely at me.

"If you ever say that to me again, I think I'm going to use this cane to hang you as a criminal. I have every right to be worried about you, and the amount of times I have been handy to save your sorry, lollygagging behind has earned me that much, I do think."

"Right , right, ye _have_ been conveniently around whenever I was in a fix. Say, why don't that Boss of yours just assign you to be me personal bodyguard already? Navigator knows we get put on the same mission enough times, and I could use a good partner in crime…"

Y'shtola blushed fiercely, turning around and pacing in a circle slightly as she spoke to me.

"D-don't be ridiculous, Hanji. You know the Scions are conservative with their deployment, and Minfilia isn't wont to be facetious with her choices for assignments."

"Yes, as you told me before. Them Scions of yours tend to be more secretive than they're worth. If you weren't one of 'em, I'd think they were a tribe of warlocks, or the like."

Y'shtola was forthcoming about her work, but still held on to many a secret about what she _actually_ did when she received mission orders from her superior. I knew of the Scions, but nothing about what they did for Eorzea, or who they were. To me, they were simply another name in the game of war nations played with the world.

"Well, you aren't wrong about that. Almost all of us have some sort of affiliation for Magus arts. But, unlike a simple Warlock tribe, we have an actual purpose."

"To save the world…"

"Aye, exactly."

Y'shtola stopped her pacing, and stood in place, facing away from me. Neither of us spoke, possibly contemplating the awkward vicissitudes of our lives, or even each other's.

"Seymour, I need to know. What in the Seven Hells happened that night? You stormed that temple with twenty heavily armed men, and chocobos. How is it possible that you were the only one that made it out alive?"

"How do you know I'm the only one who made it out alive?"

"Please, it's been two moons, no one would be able to last that long on their own out in Sastasha without being torn to bits by Sahagin first."

"Hmm, I see yer' reason, there. Well, I'll tell you how I made it out. I let them all die."

"What?!"

"I'll say it again, I let them all die. The temple we were meant to raid was four times more populated than what we thought. They were all in the middle of some kind of ritual, and when we arrived, they all turned on us. It would have taken another thirty men to subdue that place."

"Good Gods…"

"Aye, it was that bad. Anyways, when the Sergeant and I were cornered, he told me to flee. I tried to resist, but before I could give any kind of meaningful resistance, he forced me onto Ayumi, and set her off. My last glimpse of him was with Axe in hand, charging the horde in front of us. I was a coward, Y'shtola, I fled from a fight that I could have helped _win_, I could have at least tried, but instead I fled and now they are all rotting away in that Hellhole."

The twinges of panic and terror were coming back, welling up in my throat, covering my vision, blanking and graying out things not directly in front of me. I felt weak, and I felt cold, all over again…

Then, suddenly, it all vanished. Like going from One Hundred to Zero, it all melted away in a second. I looked over to Y'shtola, and she hastily hid something behind her back, likely her healing cane. She knew me well enough to tell when I was hurting, and I knew that much of her, as well. Although, over the years, I tended to experience more physical pain, whereas she was more prone to emotional grief. The way she was able to tell I was in pain, and assuage it, I was then able to see her masked sorrow.

"Something is wrong, Y'shtola, I can see it in your eyes. Tell me."

"What? Oh, nonsense, Seymour, I don't know what you are talking abo-"

"Woman, I would have thought ye were intelligent enough to tell that nothing ye think is hidden from me, I've simply been at it for too long. Now, tell me."

Y'shtola donned a look of rebellion, for a moment or two, but then sighed with her defeat, and shuffled over to me, and sat down on the bed.

"Do you really want to know, Seymour? I'm not sure I can tell you in the right way…"

"I don't care. Tell me whichever damned way ye like, I just want to know what troubles you."

She looked into my eyes, not saying anything yet. Then, she looked down at the floor, and whispered to me.

"I was wrong..."

"What? Seak up, I can hardly hear-"

"I WAS WRONG, SEYMOUR!"

Those feelings I had detected erupted from Y'shtola, drowning her in tears and sobs, leaving her shuddering on my chest, uttering muffled groans of disgust and despair. I had never seen her in such a state before, and it terrified me to no end. She had always been the stalwart, the one who kept a level head, never panicking, and always even-headed. To see her broken down in front of me, bawling, was a completely new realm.

_She had been wrong_. Never, in the years I had known her, had Y'shtola ever been wrong, about anything. Her data was infallible, the best of the best, the reason she was the official spymaster of the Scions. For her to be wrong… I can only imagine what could have happened.

"How… How in the bloody hell did that happen?"

"In the most idiotic, primal way possible; Blind pride and sheer arrogance. I conducted a reconnaissance mission to the Elbst nest the Commander and I were to infiltrate... In the time I visited, it was deserted, not even a single patrol present. The nests were left open for sabotage, and it looked a simple operation. Instinct told me to remain until night and inspect their night-time operations, but I went against my gut, and left after a brief overview of the place. I thought it was an easy catch...In the middle of my lust for battle, I failed to realize that the Fishbacks were in the middle of mating season. They do not go outside during the day, and are most active during the night.

"So you're saying you didn't complete your mission?"

"In a way, yes. I skimped out on details, and he paid the price…"

"... He?"

"Oh, Gods, you haven't heard yet. Damnit, I was hoping it wouldn't happen like this…"

"_What _ wouldn't happen? Tell me what's going on?"

She took a deep breath, and composed herself slightly before continuing.

"This morning, Commander Railog Bro'Welsin was laid to rest at sea. He was commemorated for his years of service by the Admiral herself, and placed in the halls of the Maelstrom's deceased Honor Guard."

Railog… Dead. The two words couldn't appear correct when placed in the same sentence. I had always imagined the man going to battle with Leviathan, nothing but an axe in his hand, and bringing the thing down, triumphant. It felt fake, him being gone.

"How… How did he die, Y'shtola?"

"With an Axe in the body of a Sahagin Chief, covering my escape. He gave his life to ensure I could carry word of the Sahagin's numbers back to central command. Heh… Isn't that hilarious, Seymour? We both are alive today because someone offered themselves in sacrifice to keep us that way…"

"Wait, wait, just a second here. For _years_, you have been the frontrunner of this here nation's intelligence fleet, and now , just like that, you're si-"

"The past is irrelevant, Seymour. What matters now is that I let Railog die, without even trying to fight alongside him! I could have saved him, could have brought him back, I could have…"

"Done nothing besides what you did. You listened to the Commander, and you saved yourself. He would not have told you to do so unless he knew that you were still needed here. The same… Applies to me, now that I think on the matter."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, the dead do not feel anger, not towards, you, and maybe even not towards me. Countless men have been spared by your work, and I cannot say with honest reason that anyone would hold this single incident against your perfect career."

"No, you don't understand, this changes everything, I threw away innocent lives to save my own, it goes against every single principle I have ever upheld, it-"

I couldn't stand much more of her moral rambling. With whatever strength I could gather, I broke free of the blankets that surrounded me, and caught her in my embrace. I set my mouth next to her ears, and I whispered gently.

"Ye cannot be blamed for the unavoidable consequence of war. I will say this only one more time, so listen carefully, Savvy? Railog trusted you more than his own Axe, and saw saving you as his last worthy act in this life. He saw you as a chance for one less person to die, and took that chance. He wanted you to live for a reason."

I stopped momentarily, regaining my breath, and bettering my grasp on Y'shtola.

"He wanted you to avenge his death. He chose you to give his end closure. Now, no more of this remorse, and think to the future. Railog gave you the gift of Life..."

With those words, my embrace slipped, my strength all but gone. I fell back onto the pillows behind me, and looked up at her face. She wore a serene facade, one that seemed at once both at odds and at peace with the world.

"What will you do with his gift, Y'shtola? What will make your life worth living?"

I saw her smile, and fiddle with her hair cuffs for a moment. Then, she quickly bent down to my face, and planted a kiss on my lips. She moved back only a finger's length, and whispered,

"You will, as usual, my love."

With the last of my fading consciousness, I remember another kiss gracing my mouth, this one longer than the first. I was most certainly the smooth talker of the two of us, but in that moment, she could have been classified under '_silky_' in my books.

* * *

**_Hi, all, Hanji here. Hopefully you are all beginning to get a feel for how this story is going to play out, even just a little bit. I need to start playing FFXIV again to become re-acclimated with the 1.0 story and lore, so expect a few lore based errors until really get back into it. The next chapter will be the first *new* chapter in this series in over a year, and the continuation of the story I originally thought out almost two years ago! Time flies._**

**_Hope you all are doing well, and Cheers, as always._**


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